Subject : English Literature Grade Level(s): 9-12 Time Period: 3 weeks
Unit Summary:
This unit plan covers the reading of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The main purpose of this plan is to help students increase their critical reading and critical thinking skills through close-reading and evaluation of the novel The Great Gatsby. Students will study and hone critical thinking skills that relate to identity in various ways including in class discussion, lectures, journal entries, found poems, videos, and multi-media assignments. In the end, the students will be able to understand and spot figurative language, demonstrate close-reading skills, and be able to apply a novel's theme to real life scenarios.
Essential Question:
What is identity to humans?
Unit Question:
How do we establish identity? Are there certain things we need to do to establish identity?
Content Question:
According to experts how is identity formed? How would you relate that to the Great Gatsby?
Assessment Plan
Just so one gets an idea of the rest of the way the unit is planned, I am attaching the unit plan. It breaks down pre-reading assignments, regular assignments, and then after reading assignments. This is a critical plan in that it describes all assignments and helps to guide one through the order.
USE THIS ASSESSMENT PLAN TO UNDERSTAND THE ORDER OF THE UNIT PLAN!
Students will be shown the introductory PowerPoint presentation. This includes some music from the era, facts and support videos about inventions and prohibition, a few pre-reading questions for discussion (including a journal entry), and a guide to the first pre-reading assignment posted below.
The first exercise for students is a pre-reading exercise. This assignment works predominantly with colors and their meanings. The purpose of this assignment is to ensure students understand the need to close-read the novel and also what colors may represent for the characters and its relationship to not only the author’s intended message, but what these colors mean in terms of identity. I have uploaded a student’s example of the assignment. I also recommend adding to the atmosphere for this novel by playing 1920's music in the background.
Directions: Students should be broken up into groups to complete this together. Each group is designated a color (ex. blue, yellow, etc.). Students will complete this graphic organizer assignment with that specific color in mind.
Relevant English-Language Arts Content Standards: 1.2. Distinguish between the denotative and connotative meanings of words and interpret the connotative power of words.
Special Needs: Pay close attention to the students in your class. If there are several strong students, ensure that each strong student is placed at each table, so that no one table is overloaded with gifted students. It will be the same for those struggling. Ensure that struggling students are evenly spread out in each group. If there are students who are still struggling in learning English, try to make sure that a Spanish/English speaker is at their table, if possible, so that they can help with translating if needed.
Students will complete this pre-reading exercise before they read, while they read, and after they read this novel. It is a graded assignment and will be periodically turned in for credit. Students will fill this out as homework and will need to bring this in for class discussion.
The most important part of my unit plan, is that my students are reading the novel with a close eye and paying attention to detail that might otherwise go unnoticed. These unnoticed things usually are critical to reveal wishes, hopes, intentions, weaknesses, and other identity important ideals of characters. The reading journals that are mandatory for this novel are another tool that the students can use to make sure they are close reading and analyzing. For my unit plan, I chose a word mnemonic. This word mnemonic is put into place to help students remember key reading hints that help readers gain an understanding of characterization and identity. The mnemonic is:
L = Looks E = Effects A = Actions S = Speech T= Thought
This will help students to remember to anaylse and pay attention in the novel to what the character is looking at, the effects of words and actions he has on others and vice versa, each characters actions, what characters are saying to one another and how, and what they are thinking, or what a reader believes them to be thinking.
Readers can also consider this in a sentence I made which is: Sometimes what's most important, is what is paid attention to the LEAST.
Differentiated Activity / The Great Gatsby Found Poem
This is an assignment that is great for ALL students including English Learners, students with special needs, and struggling readers! Instructions: Students will be instructed to sit at their desks (that have been moved into groups), where several copies of The Great Gatsby will set on the table. Students will be instructed to pick a page from the book and rip it out. Then, students will create a found poem from their ripped-out page. They do this by circling, highlighting, etc. the words that they wish to be part of their poem. The poem must be about The Great Gatsby or be told from the perspective of a character of The Great Gatsby. The poem may also be relatable to identity, which is the theme of this unit plan. The students will be expected to decorate the page with paints, markers, (but in the same Great Gatsby theme) etc. and will be expected to read their poem out loud to the class. I have included below student examples
Close- Reading Graphic Organizer Students will be required to fill out this close-reading graphic organizer every 2 chapters and must choose a new character to evaluate each time. In this assignment students must complete each one of the five boxes completely by choosing their three characters from the novel and contrasting their behaviors with their own and in the end, finish the assignment by turning in the chapter lesson into a universal truth. A completely student sample is below.
Multi Media Project Instructional Procedures: The Great Gatsby Brochure
Here are the instructional procedures I would leave a substitute that was to watch my class when the brochure was assigned. The directions are clear, and area good idea to read through if you are unsure. Again, these are the teacher specifics for The Great Gatsby Brochure below.
Students are required to work together in a group to complete a “Gatsby Gazette” Brochure. Students can pick their own groups, but obviously you can meld the groups into what you think you need if you have stronger/learning disabled students you wish to spread out. Class time will be given to students to complete, but some outside of classwork will be required. Both the prompt to give to students and the grading rubric are shown. I have also included a student sample of the brochure. I strongly recommend booking, in advance, time in the computer lab. I have a student support resource for “Gatsby Gazette” brochure, and it will greatly help students to understand the era and the novel better.
As stated above, once students have the rubric, prompt, sample, and their groups, it's computer lab time. Here the students will need to fill out their support resource worksheet, and in the meantime, learn a little about life and the culture of the roaring twenties.
As part of the visual aid and technology requirements, all students will be required to create a Wordle. Students will have a chance to do this in the computer lab, when they are done with their Great Gatsby Brochure Support Resource worksheet. Otherwise, students will need to complete this at home. Students will need to choose either a general novel theme, a specific character, a specific scene, feeling relating to the novel, etc to create a Wordle around. This is a graded assignment. An example is shown below.
The Great Gatsby Timeline Assignment
This is one of the last assignments that students will complete before the essay. Students will create a timeline for the novel in which they mark down events that keep the story going. They do not have to be traditional significant events, it can be any event in the whole story, as long as the student justifies its importance. Obviously, this is so that the students can understand each event leading up to the end of the novel, and are able to analyse actions and how the novel would have changed otherwise. Below is the Prompt, student sample, and grading rubric.
Video Favorites- Student friendly support resources / Differentiated Assignments
Posted below are several student-friendly support resources that students will enjoy, and that meet the content standards of the lesson plan and the state of California. These are great for all students.
Gatsby Rap - Hilarious and done by a student for his English class assignment. This song is sung about Daisy from Gatsby's point of view.
Symbolism in G.G. - This is also a really great resource to use to show at the beginning of a unit. This video has current-day music in the background and relays information to the student about what to look for in terms of symbolism inThe Great Gatsby.
Important Quotes - This is also a great resource for students. There are several supporting quotations in this slide that can help guide students so that they know which type of supporting evidence that I, as a teacher, would be looking for. It's not as good in my opinion, as the others, but it's still a nice resource.
Summary - I wouldn't show my students this last one until we were completely done reading the book, or maybe I would show it in parts. This is a great Sparknotes video to help students understand the events in the novel, which also would be a great tool if there were learning disabilities. It is easy to understand and is also entertaining.
Targeted Content Standards:
2.3 Write reflective compositions: a. Explore the significance of personal experiences, events, conditions, or concerns by using rhetorical strategies (e.g. narration, description, exposition, persuasion). b. Draw comparisons between specific incidents and broader themes that illustrate the writer's important beliegs or generalizations about life.
2.6 Deliver multimedia presentations: a. Combine text, images, and sound and draw information from many sources (e.g., television broadcasts, videos, films, newspapers, magazines, CD-ROMs, the Internet, electronic media-generated images).
3.0 Literary Response and Analysis Students read and respond to historically or culturally significant works of literature that reflect and enhance their studies of history and social science.
3.2 Compare and contrast the presentation of a similar theme or topic across genres to explain how the selection of genre shapes the theme or topic
3.5 Compare works that express a universal theme and provide evidence to support the ideas expressed in each work.
Literary Criticism 3.12- Analyze the way in which a work of literature is related to the themes and issues of its historical
3.3- Analyze the ways in which irony, tone, mood, the author's style, and the "sound" of language achieve specific rhetorical or aesthetic purposes or both period. (Historical approach)
The Great Gatsby Lesson Plan: Identity
Subject : English LiteratureGrade Level(s): 9-12
Time Period: 3 weeks
Unit Summary:
This unit plan covers the reading of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The main purpose of this plan is to help students increase their critical reading and critical thinking skills through close-reading and evaluation of the novel The Great Gatsby. Students will study and hone critical thinking skills that relate to identity in various ways including in class discussion, lectures, journal entries, found poems, videos, and multi-media assignments. In the end, the students will be able to understand and spot figurative language, demonstrate close-reading skills, and be able to apply a novel's theme to real life scenarios.
Essential Question:
What is identity to humans?Unit Question:
How do we establish identity? Are there certain things we need to do to establish identity?Content Question:
According to experts how is identity formed? How would you relate that to the Great Gatsby?Assessment Plan
Just so one gets an idea of the rest of the way the unit is planned, I am attaching the unit plan. It breaks down pre-reading assignments, regular assignments, and then after reading assignments. This is a critical plan in that it describes all assignments and helps to guide one through the order.USE THIS ASSESSMENT PLAN TO UNDERSTAND THE ORDER OF THE UNIT PLAN!
Pre-reading Powerpoint
Students will be shown the introductory PowerPoint presentation. This includes some music from the era, facts and support videos about inventions and prohibition, a few pre-reading questions for discussion (including a journal entry), and a guide to the first pre-reading assignment posted below.
Pre-reading Exercise- Colors
The first exercise for students is a pre-reading exercise. This assignment works predominantly with colors and their meanings. The purpose of this assignment is to ensure students understand the need to close-read the novel and also what colors may represent for the characters and its relationship to not only the author’s intended message, but what these colors mean in terms of identity. I have uploaded a student’s example of the assignment. I also recommend adding to the atmosphere for this novel by playing 1920's music in the background.
Directions: Students should be broken up into groups to complete this together. Each group is designated a color (ex. blue, yellow, etc.). Students will complete this graphic organizer assignment with that specific color in mind.
Relevant English-Language Arts Content Standards: 1.2. Distinguish between the denotative and connotative meanings of words and interpret the connotative power of words.
Special Needs: Pay close attention to the students in your class. If there are several strong students, ensure that each strong student is placed at each table, so that no one table is overloaded with gifted students. It will be the same for those struggling. Ensure that struggling students are evenly spread out in each group. If there are students who are still struggling in learning English, try to make sure that a Spanish/English speaker is at their table, if possible, so that they can help with translating if needed.
Pre-reading Exercise I-9 Chart
Students will complete this pre-reading exercise before they read, while they read, and after they read this novel. It is a graded assignment and will be periodically turned in for credit. Students will fill this out as homework and will need to bring this in for class discussion.Mneumonic Devices- They really help!
The most important part of my unit plan, is that my students are reading the novel with a close eye and paying attention to detail that might otherwise go unnoticed. These unnoticed things usually are critical to reveal wishes, hopes, intentions, weaknesses, and other identity important ideals of characters. The reading journals that are mandatory for this novel are another tool that the students can use to make sure they are close reading and analyzing. For my unit plan, I chose a word mnemonic. This word mnemonic is put into place to help students remember key reading hints that help readers gain an understanding of characterization and identity. The mnemonic is:L = Looks
E = Effects
A = Actions
S = Speech
T= Thought
This will help students to remember to anaylse and pay attention in the novel to what the character is looking at, the effects of words and actions he has on others and vice versa, each characters actions, what characters are saying to one another and how, and what they are thinking, or what a reader believes them to be thinking.
Readers can also consider this in a sentence I made which is:
Sometimes what's most important, is what is paid attention to the LEAST.
Differentiated Activity / The Great Gatsby Found Poem
This is an assignment that is great for ALL students including English Learners, students with special needs, and struggling readers!Instructions: Students will be instructed to sit at their desks (that have been moved into groups), where several copies of The Great Gatsby will set on the table. Students will be instructed to pick a page from the book and rip it out. Then, students will create a found poem from their ripped-out page. They do this by circling, highlighting, etc. the words that they wish to be part of their poem. The poem must be about The Great Gatsby or be told from the perspective of a character of The Great Gatsby. The poem may also be relatable to identity, which is the theme of this unit plan. The students will be expected to decorate the page with paints, markers, (but in the same Great Gatsby theme) etc. and will be expected to read their poem out loud to the class. I have included below student examples
Close- Reading Graphic Organizer
Students will be required to fill out this close-reading graphic organizer every 2 chapters and must choose a new character to evaluate each time. In this assignment students must complete each one of the five boxes completely by choosing their three characters from the novel and contrasting their behaviors with their own and in the end, finish the assignment by turning in the chapter lesson into a universal truth. A completely student sample is below.
Multi Media Project Instructional Procedures: The Great Gatsby Brochure
Here are the instructional procedures I would leave a substitute that was to watch my class when the brochure was assigned. The directions are clear, and area good idea to read through if you are unsure. Again, these are the teacher specifics for The Great Gatsby Brochure below.The Great Gatsby Brochure: Multi Media Project
Students are required to work together in a group to complete a “Gatsby Gazette” Brochure. Students can pick their own groups, but obviously you can meld the groups into what you think you need if you have stronger/learning disabled students you wish to spread out. Class time will be given to students to complete, but some outside of classwork will be required. Both the prompt to give to students and the grading rubric are shown. I have also included a student sample of the brochure. I strongly recommend booking, in advance, time in the computer lab. I have a student support resource for “Gatsby Gazette” brochure, and it will greatly help students to understand the era and the novel better.The Great Gatsby Brochure Support Resource
As stated above, once students have the rubric, prompt, sample, and their groups, it's computer lab time. Here the students will need to fill out their support resource worksheet, and in the meantime, learn a little about life and the culture of the roaring twenties.Visual Aid
As part of the visual aid and technology requirements, all students will be required to create a Wordle. Students will have a chance to do this in the computer lab, when they are done with their Great Gatsby Brochure Support Resource worksheet. Otherwise, students will need to complete this at home. Students will need to choose either a general novel theme, a specific character, a specific scene, feeling relating to the novel, etc to create a Wordle around. This is a graded assignment. An example is shown below.The Great Gatsby Timeline Assignment
This is one of the last assignments that students will complete before the essay. Students will create a timeline for the novel in which they mark down events that keep the story going. They do not have to be traditional significant events, it can be any event in the whole story, as long as the student justifies its importance. Obviously, this is so that the students can understand each event leading up to the end of the novel, and are able to analyse actions and how the novel would have changed otherwise. Below is the Prompt, student sample, and grading rubric.Video Favorites- Student friendly support resources / Differentiated Assignments
Posted below are several student-friendly support resources that students will enjoy, and that meet the content standards of the lesson plan and the state of California. These are great for all students.Gatsby Rap - Hilarious and done by a student for his English class assignment. This song is sung about Daisy from Gatsby's point of view.
Symbolism in G.G. - This is also a really great resource to use to show at the beginning of a unit. This video has current-day music in the background and relays information to the student about what to look for in terms of symbolism in The Great Gatsby.
Important Quotes - This is also a great resource for students. There are several supporting quotations in this slide that can help guide students so that they know which type of supporting evidence that I, as a teacher, would be looking for. It's not as good in my opinion, as the others, but it's still a nice resource.
Summary - I wouldn't show my students this last one until we were completely done reading the book, or maybe I would show it in parts. This is a great Sparknotes video to help students understand the events in the novel, which also would be a great tool if there were learning disabilities. It is easy to understand and is also entertaining.
Targeted Content Standards:
2.3 Write reflective compositions:a. Explore the significance of personal experiences, events, conditions, or concerns by using rhetorical strategies (e.g. narration, description, exposition, persuasion).
b. Draw comparisons between specific incidents and broader themes that illustrate the writer's important beliegs or generalizations about life.
2.6 Deliver multimedia presentations:
a. Combine text, images, and sound and draw information from many sources (e.g., television broadcasts, videos, films, newspapers, magazines, CD-ROMs, the Internet, electronic media-generated images).
3.0 Literary Response and Analysis Students read and respond to historically or culturally significant works of literature that reflect and enhance their studies of history and social science.
3.2 Compare and contrast the presentation of a similar theme or topic across genres to explain how the selection of genre shapes the theme or topic
3.5 Compare works that express a universal theme and provide evidence to support the ideas expressed in each work.
Literary Criticism
3.12- Analyze the way in which a work of literature is related to the themes and issues of its historical
3.3- Analyze the ways in which irony, tone, mood, the author's style, and the "sound" of language achieve specific rhetorical or aesthetic purposes or both period. (Historical approach)Resources
Example of the found poem was found at: http://isuarts.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/poem-example.jpg
Content standards found at: http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/index.asp
The Wordle website can be found by clicking here or copying and pasting www.wordle.net